“In accordance with the federal law ‘On freedom of belief and religious affiliation’, the Russian Pastafarian Church, on the pastafarian sabbath, Friday 12th July 2013, the local government of Moscow was informed of the creation of the official religious group, the RPC”, the message states. [Note: the acronym RPC is the same acronym as used by the largest religious group in Russia, the Russian Orthodox Church].

“After the establishment of a group of pastafarian lawyers, the necessary documents will be prepared for the Ministry of Justice to create a fully-fledged religious organisation, so that our beloved congregation can receive the same rights as traditional religions”, the “church” explains its future plans on their site.

Pastafarianism or “the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster” is a parody on a religious organisation, created in 2005 in the state of Kansas as a sign of protest against the teaching of creationism in school as an alternative to evolutionary science. On the organisation’s official site, its creator, Bobby Henderson, proclaims his belief in a higher creator, looking like pasta and meatballs – the Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) and calls for pastafarianism to be taught in schools alongside other religions, in order to demonstrate the absurdity of all religion.